Track-leveling sight.



WITNESSES A. J. WILLIAMSON.

TRACK LEVELING SIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1918.

' 1,296,248. Patgnted Man 4,1919.

- 'INVENTOR ATTORNEY ALPHEU'S J. WILLIAMSON, OF COCOLALLA, IDAHO.

TRACK-LEVELING SIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Application filed February 16, 1918. Serial No. 217,661.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALrHEUs J. WILLIAM- SON, a natural-born citizen of the United States, residing at Gocolalla, in the county of Bonner and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in T rack-Leveling Sights, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in sighting devices of the type employed in connection with railway tracks to ascertain whether or not the different rail sections of the track are on the proper level, and the primary object of this invention is to provide a sighting device of this character with improved means for supporting the same upon one of the rail sections.

Another object is to provide an improved device of this character which is constructed of a few parts assembled in such a simple imnner that the entire device may be manufactured and placed upon the market at an extremely low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description and drawings wh erein I have illustrated the invention in its preferred embodiment and in which drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device attached to one rail of a track, and

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates the rail section forming one side of the track and 2 a plurality of vertical sight bars adapted to be supported upon said sections as hereinafter set forth.

Each sight bar is equipped at its upper end with a cross base 3, the upper surface of which provides a sighting plane l. At its lower end, each bar has a pair of resilient clamping members 5 and 6 secured to its opposite sides. These clamping members are in the form of resilient strips secured at one end to opposite sides of the bar as stated and having their intermediate portions bowed outwardly in opposite directions as indicated at 7 to engage opposite sides of the head portion of one of the rail sections as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. After forming the portion 7 the free ends of the strip are bent inwardly toward one another to engage opposite sides of the rail Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. 0.

web as indicated at 8 and then have their free extremities directed outwardly in opposite direction to facilitate the-engagement of the clamping members with the rail. Rivets 9 or other suit-able fastening may be used for securing the clamping members to the sight bar.

Any number of these sight bars 2 may be employed in accordance with the length of the track being tested and each bar is preferably secured to one rail section of the track as shown in Fig. 1. It is evident that by sighting over the cross pieces 3 one can readily ascertain whether or not the different rail sections are in proper horizontal alinement, lout if desired, any conventional form of target may be employed with these sight bars to indicate the degree of difference be tween those rail sections which are on a proper grade and those which are above or below the proper grade, in order that the necessary adjustment may be more accurately made.

It is to be also understood that I have shown my invention merely in its preferred embodiment and I therefore reserve the right to change the construction and arrangement of the parts as I see fit providing that any such changes contemplated come within the scope of the appended claim and do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

I claim A rail clamp for vertical sight bars comprising a pair of parallel resilient gripping arms having the upper ends thereof adapted to be secured to opposite sides of the bar adjacent the lower end of the latter, the intermediate portion of said arms bein'g bowed outwardly to engage opposite sides of the ball of a rail and the extremities of said clamping arm being then extended inwardly and downwardly for engagement with the sides of the web of the rail, said extremities being then directed outwardly to provide base engaging portions adapted to engage the base of the rail to limit lateral movement of the sight bar when secured thereto and to facilitate engagement with the rail.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALPHEUS J. WILLIAMSON.

W'itnesses Mrs. PAUL M. Bowen,

WM. J. Moemoen.

Commissioner of Patents,

of the clamping arms 7 

